Sputum-cup holder



Dec. 11 ,.1923.

1 E. JOHNSON SPUTUM CUP HOLDER Filed June 1 4, 1925 Fig.3.

I INVENTOR. Edward JZ/Z 77.507 7 BY I A TTORN E Y5 Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

UNITED STATES l-ATLUfi Parser orrica.

EDWARD JOHNSON, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO MEINECKE & COM- PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

'srUTUM-oo r HOLDER.

Application filed June 4, 1923. Serial No. 643,187.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sputum-Cup Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates essentially to a holder preferably made of metal for paper sputum cups in'which the swingingly mounted cover or lid of the holder actuates a device to completely cover the'hinge joint so that it will be impossible for a person to ac cidentally spit on the hinge.

An object of the invention is to provide the cover with means for attaching to it a portion or flap of therear side of the paper sputum cup, whereby when the cover is raised the rear flap of the cup follows it to entirely cover the hinge joint.

Another object of the invention is to slidingly connect the flap to the cover so that the cup can be lifted out by merely pushing it upward by pressing on the bottom thus preventing any of the sputum on the exterior part of the flap or in the holder from getting in contact with the fingers.

At present it is the custom to use a holder having a cover made to close automatically by means of a spring, thus keeping from view the contents of the paper sputum cup arranged in the holder.

The great objection to this holder is the fact that the patient not infrequently spits on the exposed hinge when the cover of the holder is raised, making the holder unsightly and unsanitary. While the paper cup can be taken out and burned the holder must be cleaned and sterilized and the cleaning of the hinge is a difficult and disagreeable task.

The present invention resides more particularly in the novel combinations hereinafter described and claimed, reference be ing made to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of a holder and cup embodying this invention showing the cover raised.

Fig. 2 is vertical section showing the cover closed.-

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the paper blank from which the sputum cup is made.

8 coiled about the pivot of the lidnor'mally.

keeps it closed. The back of the holder is equipped with a handle 9, and a finger member 1O extending from the rear edge of the cover provides means for conveniently opening the cover to afford access to the interior of the holder. V H

In the holder is arranged a paper sputum cup constructed from a blank 11 having inclined top members or flaps 12 to form a truncated mouth or opening of the sputum cup. These flaps 12 are made integral with the blank 11 and are flexible. When the blank 11 is folded into the form shown in Fig. 1 one of the flaps 13 situated at the rear of the holder is inserted through a slot 14 in the metal lid 6. The result is i that this rear flap 13 covers the coiled spring 8 and it is impossible for any sputum to lodge on the spring. The box 5 is open at the bottom and the opening is divided substantially in half by a metal strip 15 which preferably is made integral'with and is a continuation of the handle 9. By reason of the member 15 the bottom of the holder has two blank spaces 16 somewhat wider than the width of a persons fingers. As is well-known the paper sputum cup, as soon as it is filled or partly filled, is removed from the holder and burned in an incinerator or otherwise destroyed.

, By the construction of my form of holder it is apparent that the sputum cup when it becomes necessary to destroy it can be ejected and removed from the holder if desired by the operation of only one hand and without any possibility of the fingers of the operator becoming soiled by contact with the sputum. This is accomplished in the following manner: The rear flap 13 of the cup 11 which extends through the slot 14 of the cover 6 can be easily pushed through the slot 14 which is slightly longer than the width of the flap 13; the finger member 1.0

on the top of the lid 6 is then pressed down with the thumb while the fingerof the oper ator is passed through the handle 9 and two fingers can be placed in the opening 16 on the bottom of the holder and the cup readily ejected.

*Noc'laii'n is made to the form of the pape blank 11. This is an old and well-knownform. Noclaim is made to'the opening in the bottomctthe holder; Such openings are also old and well-known. My invention consists in so arranging a slot or opening in the cover of the holder that it coacts with and controls one ofthe rear flapmembers of the old and well-known type of sputum cup in suchmannerthat the spring of the holder is absolutely protected fromany contact'with the hinge of the holder, and at the same time the cup 'canbereadily re- "moved from the holder withone hand and "without the possibility of the operator havring 'his or'her'fin'ge'rs come in contact with the sputum.

I claim I 1. ,A holder, adapted to contain a sputum cup, a hingedlid on the holder and a tr'ansverse slot inthe lid and near the center thereof, tomovably'coact with the flap of a sputum cup.

my hand in the 2. A sputum cup holder having a swing ing lid, a slot in the lid, a sputum cup arranged in the holder'- and a flap extending "from the back of the'cup'to slidingly engage theslot.

3. A sputum'cup holder'having a-hinged lid witl1- a'sl.ot,"asputumscup arranged in the holder, and a flap extending from the bac'lnofthe cup made to slidingly engage the slot and to swing with the lid for shie1dmg the hinged'j oint.

4. The combination with a sputum cup holder having a swin ing lid with a slot in thelid, and 'a sputum cup folded from a substantially circularQblank having 'fourifi aps extending from theblank, one of thei's'aid presence of two subscribing fiaps"extending-through the slot in; the lid of thefboii' and fcoveringithe" spring. 

